Kane Williamson returns to white-ball cricket, set to lead NZ's first tour to Caribbean in eight years

Wellington [New Zealand], July 25 (ANI): Kane Williamson will make his return to white-ball cricket to lead a 15-member squad on their first trip to West Indies in eight years.
Williamson will captain a squad with an experienced core, including Trent Boult and Tim Southee, combined with a group of newer players such as Finn Allen and Michael Bracewell, who receive further opportunities on the back of their strong recent form.

With a tight tour schedule featuring six matches in 11 days across Jamaica (three T20Is) and Barbados (three ODIs) the selectors have looked to balance a combined squad across both formats.

The tour is also a vital part of the next cycle of ICC white ball tournaments, with the ICC T20 World Cup starting in Australia this October, and qualification points on the line for next year's ODI World Cup in India.

BLACKCAPS head coach Gary Stead said the squad was looking forward to taking on the West Indies at home.

"It is always exciting to be heading somewhere you have not been in a while and I know this group cannot wait for the challenge of taking on the West Indies in the Caribbean."
"Managing workloads is hugely important this year with the team playing some form of cricket every month in 2022 - and this applies to both players and staff."

"For Kane, Trent, Tim and Devon, this will be the first time they have played white ball cricket for New Zealand since last year's T20 World Cup and tour to India - so this trip will be important for them."

"We also have players such as Michael and Finn who are relatively new to the international stage but have really put their hands up for selection when given opportunities."

"As a selector, it has been great to see these guys push their cases," he concluded.

T20I and ODI Squad: Kane Williamson (c), Finn Allen, Trent Boult, Michael Bracewell, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee

Stead will be supported on the tour by Dean Brownlie as batting coach and Graeme Aldridge as bowling coach.

The squad will arrive in two groups in Jamaica with some travelling from New Zealand and the balance from the Netherlands. (ANI)